CEO Netweavers – Frequently Asked Questions

The purpose of CEO Netweavers FAQ’s is to help frame clearly why our organization exists and what it envisions to be. The Questions and Answers are designed to bring clarity around the community we are trying to create, who our members are and why we engage in the activities we engage in together.

The Organization:

What is the vision and mission of CEO Netweavers?

Vision:
CEO Netweavers desires to be the “go to” organization for current and former CEO’s to freely share their relationships, knowledge, skills with the metro Atlanta business community while cultivating trusted relationships.

Mission:
CEO Netweavers’ mission is to develop trusted relationship among its members and actively engage in the business community as servant leaders We do this through outreach programs that help the business community as well as programs that help each other as we grow and expand our businesses.

Goals:

Grow membership and diversity of membership (age, gender, ethnicity)

Gain more visibility of CEON and what we offer to the Atlanta business community

Increase member engagement and number of participants served in each outreach program

Hold more events to build community among members

What do we mean by Trusted Advisor?

A “Trusted Advisor” is a leader in their field, routinely operating and having significant relationships at a sustained level of interaction as high quality service providers to CEOs, Board Directors and Division Presidents. Trusted Advisors are sponsored for membership by a CEO member of Netweavers and must share/demonstrate a “Pay it Forward” and servant leadership orientation –bedrocks to our organization.

How does CEO Netweavers fulfill its Vision/Mission?

CEO Netweavers members actively engage in outreach programs that help the business community as well as programs that help each other. Currently these programs include:

Featured speakers at our monthly meetings

Member volunteer opportunities for our Inflection Point program

Member volunteer mentoring opportunities in conjunction with MBA students at Kennesaw State

Servant Leadership Roundtables with The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

Executive Symposium to the business community

Quarterly small group CEO lunch exchanges (Lunch with a Purpose)

Quarterly CEO Roundtables

What are our Values?

Servant Leadership

A philosophy and set of practices that enrich the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world;

“Pay It Forward” is an approach that builds bridges of trust by listening and actively engaging in helping others with no expectation that doing so will result in a personal benefit. It is the proactive facilitation of sharing ideas, information, relationships and experiences to help others first;

Netweaving is a “Pay It Forward” activity and represents a specific set of skills which focus on connecting people and supplying them with resources which they or others in their trusted network are willing to provide;

Netweaving is a characteristic of a Servant Leader.

Trusted Relationships are built on mutual respect and based upon the authentic and accountable connections of individuals, personal integrity, confidentiality, candor and self-respect. In a professional setting the individuals in these trusted relationships:

Are expected to open their lives more fully to others;

Are willing to seek out each other’s company rather than to interact only because of practical convenience or necessity;

Become motivated by a sense that the benefits one partner offers are offered without expectation of receiving something in return;

Expect that the relationship itself generates a true sense of reward.

What is the Mission?

CEO Netweavers’ mission is to freely share our relationships, knowledge and skills with the metro Atlanta business community while cultivating trusted relationships.

We do this by actively engaging in outreach programs that help the business community as well as programs that help each other as we grow and expand our businesses.

Our goals are to:

Grow membership and diversity of membership (age, gender, ethnicity)

Gain more visibility of CEON and what we offer to the Atlanta business community

Increase member engagement and number of participants served in each outreach program

Hold more events to build community among members

Membership:

What are the criteria for becoming a member of CEO Netweavers?

There are several criteria for membership.First is the individual’s personal ethos and commitment to participate:

A Servant Leadership philosophy is essential to the objectives and mission of CEO Netweavers, and will be validated through a formal review process.

All candidates for membership must be invited and sponsored by a current CEO member in good standing having a personal and trusted relationship with the candidate. All CEO Netweaver members must be willing to participate in the organization’s activities on a regular basis in order to maintain Membership and good standing within the organization.

They subscribe to the CEO Netweaver Values (above).

Additional Criteria is based on membership category and qualifications:

CEO Members:

President/CEO (holds or held) that reports to the Board of Directors (if one exists)

Board of Director member with fiduciary responsibilities for a public or private company with $100M revenues

Currently holding or have held the responsibility for a complete, autonomous business (Division President, Division Head, Managing Director) within a Public Company with revenues of at least $1B

Current (or past) flag officer or other major command within the military service

Trusted Advisor Members:

Sponsored by a CEO member of Netweavers, and must be as a Trusted Advisor at the CEO level on a regular basis

A leader in their field, routinely operating and having significant relationships at a sustained level of interaction as a high quality service provider to the Board Directors, CEO’s and Division Presidents who meet the Netweaver membership criteria.

Hold a senior position:Partner, Managing Partner or Managing Director

Are there other membership categories?

Yes, along with the main two member categories we also invite:

Entrepreneur Membership:

CEO of a company with at least 10 employees;

Must have participated in the Inflection Point program;

Must be nominated by three CEO Netweavers;

Granted a one-year membership.

CEO or Executive Director of a Not-For-Profit:

Annual revenue or operating budget of $2.5 Million;

Managing Director;

Executive Director;

Includes Civic Leaders, College/University (President or Dean)

CEOs Under 40 years

Company revenues of between $3-10 Million

Are there any other attributes we are looking for in our membership?

Our vision is to increase our diversity of thought, perspectives and enrichment. Business is now global and in order to remain informed and helpful in our Pay It Forward activities, we would like to increase the diversity within our group.

What is the process for nominating and how long does it take to become a member of CEO Netweavers?

Once a candidate submits his/her application, the timeline is approximately 30 days to vet and interview. The membership process is as follows:

The candidate is invited to attend up to two (2) monthly meetings to get a feel for our organization before applying for membership;

The CEO Netweavers member who invited the potential candidate and a member of the membership Committee discuss the candidate’s membership criteria and interest in our organization;

If the CEO sponsor recommends the candidate for membership, the sponsor provides the candidate access to the application on the CEO Netweavers website;

The candidate completes the application, which is then reviewed by the Membership Committee against our stated criteria. If the candidate meets the criteria, then two interviews are set up with the candidate: one with a member of the Membership Committee and one with a member of the Operating Committee;

The Executive Director and the membership Committee Chair review the interview results and follow-up with the candidate or sponsor if further clarification is needed;

The interview results are reviewed with the entire membership committee and a decision is made on whether or not to recommend the candidate for membership;

If the Membership Committee supports extending an invitation to join, the Chair of the Membership Committee recommends the candidate for membership at the next Operating Committee meeting;

If the candidate does not meet the criteria outlined for membership, the Membership Committee Chair will discuss with the CEO member sponsor and the decision is then communicated to the candidate.

What are the different ways I can get more involved as a CEON member and who do I contact?

Are there a minimum number of programs/committees a member needs to participate in order to maintain membership status?

Currently there is no minimum number of programs or engagement required to remain a member in good standing. However, in order to take full advantage of membership, members are encouraged to engage in as many programs as possible.

Are there any unwritten rules members should know about?

Yes. We are a Netweaving community NOT a networking community. As such, soliciting each other for business is frowned upon and is grounds for being dismissed from membership.

How big do we want to get?

We want to be able to maximize our impact on the business community to the extent possible while also building a close community of trusted relationships. While we would like to continue to extend our help to the business community, we are also very committed to inviting leaders into our organization who hold our values and are Servant Leaders. Because of these foundations, we don’t have any specific number of members in mind.

Operating Committee:

What is the role of the Operating Committee and who is on it?

The role of the Operating Committee is to ensure the vision and mission of the organization is being fulfilled. That includes:

Quality Monthly Speaker Program

Effective Membership Identification Process

High Impact Outreach Programs

CEO Inflection Point

KSU Mentorship Program

CEO Investment Coaching

High Impact Programs for Members

Lunch with a Purpose

Servant Leadership Roundtables with The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

CEO Roundtables

The current Operating Committee members are:

President

:

Paulette Corbin

President-Elect

:

Mark Bachmann

Past President

:

Tony Mitchell

Treasurer

:

Brad Jay

Membership Committee Chair

:

Gil Morgan

Program Committee Chair

:

Cody Hilbun

CEO Inflection Point

:

Brad jay

CEO Inflection Point Alumni

:

Mike Blake

Sponsorship Committee Chair

:

Chris Ruttle

Marketing and Media Chair

:

Annelle Barnett

Mentoring Chair

:

Dave Walens

Nominating Committee & Governance Committee Chair

:

Ray Padron

Nominating Committee & Governance Member

:

Jim Deupree

:

Paulette Corbin

:

Tony Mitchell

:

Ray Padron

How are Operating Committee members selected?

The process is somewhat informal. If you are interested in serving on the Operating Committee please contact the President, President Elect or the Governance Committee Chair. If you are interested in serving on one of the committees, please contact the chairperson of that committee directly.

Programs and Committees:

What happens during the monthly membership meetings?

The monthly meetings are held on the morning of the second Thursday of each month at the Capital Grille (Perimeter). These meetings provide time for connecting with fellow members as well as hearing from a speaker on a topical business subject.

What is CEO Inflection Point (CEO-IP)?

In the life of a business there are inflection points in which the direction of the organization can change. It is at these inflection points where CEO Netweavers can be most helpful. CEO-IP offers a structured, interactive environment in which business leaders receive an open exchange of strategic advice on a variety of topics from a panel of experienced and trusted professionals.

Any member is able to nominate a company for the CEO-IP program. First the CEON member needs to explain to the company the purpose and mechanics of the meetings (3 or 4 meetings, at roughly 4 to 5 week intervals, with 6 or 7 highly experienced advisors). Second they need to ascertain that the company’s CEO will be a good listener and will openly and frankly discuss their business issues, consider and selectively follow the panel’s advice. Third, contact the Inflection Point Chairperson who will take over the vetting process.

Virtually any “going concern” company can be eligible for the program. We prefer companies that have customers and revenue, but have worked with some pre-revenue companies. The program is not focused on entrepreneurs that are only in the “idea stage”.

What are the KSU and the GT MBA Program?

Through a co-developed program with Kennesaw State University and Georgia Tech Universities, CEO Netweavers members volunteer as mentors to second year KSU and GT MBA Students. Among other things, the MBA mentoring program provides each student with a trusted advisor who provides a long-term career perspective on topics selected by the student. Students and Mentors are carefully matched and meet regularly throughout the school year.

All members have and are encouraged to participate in the KSU and/or GT mentor programs.

What is the process to get on a committee?

Express interest to the committee chair. There is a need for more participation on several important committees and since leadership turns over every 12 to 24 months future leadership needs to be in place ready to take on more responsibility.

Sponsorship:

What are the levels of sponsorship and how does a company become a sponsor?

There are three sponsorship levels:

Gold – $5,000

Silver – $2,500

Inflection Point – $1,500

Any company interested in becoming a sponsor should contact the Sponsorship Committee Chair or Pat Hurston for additional information.

Bringing Guests:

Is there a criterion for the type of guests I can bring?

The goal is for guests to be potential members of our community. As such it serves the community to invite guests that meet the criteria for membership. Guests who are qualified to become members are allowed to come as a guest for a maximum of two meetings before being asked to join. It is the responsibility of members not to invite the same guest more than two times. On occasion members will invite non‐member guests to hear specific speakers. This should be the exception. Please let Pat Hurston know prior to inviting these guests.

Are there any restriction on the number of guests I can bring and how often?

There are no restrictions on the number of qualified guests you can bring as long as they are not invited more than twice before being asked to become members.

Membership Fees and Organizational Finances:

What are the major operating expenses of our organization and how our membership fees and sponsorship monies used?

The organization has a healthy balance sheet and keeps enough cash reserves in order to ensure we can invest in the future. This includes things like investing in updating our website and expanding/adding new outreach programs. The primary ongoing expenses of CEO Netweavers are as follows: